10 Things You Should Know about Introverts

10 Things You Should Know about Introverts

Until now, I often see many personality discrimination occurred in companies around the world. It saddened me. Both introverts and extroverts have their own valuable qualities, so it’s not fair to judge one another but work together to find a greater achievement.

As the title suggests, I would like to share my knowledge from a book I just read. The book is called Quiet by Susan Cain. I just to curious about the world of Introverts, because I saw many people see Introverts as something out of this world, not fun at all to be with. They can’t make people happy, they’re no fun. I fed up with those kind of people all my life.

As Introverts, I really enjoyed reading this book. There are 10 things I’d like to share with all of you guys. Some facts that might open your eyes when you look at an introvert.

Extroverts enjoy interacting with people and usually they are really outgoing. they need to be in the spotlight and surrounded by people. Most of them wants as much friends and acquaintance as they could get. For example: If they lost in the stock market, they will invest more money to quickly turn that loss into a win. While Introverts is the other way around. Introverts like to be in a calm situation. They like to think long and hard about the mistakes and decision that they want to make. If they lost in the stock market, probably they will stop for a while and take time to analyze the market. The introverts also enjoy their alone time quietly or with a small group of a really close friends to talk about personal or any social problems. We prefer fewer, deeper relationships.

As an Introverts, we have common traits, which is we are highly sensitive. So if we are told to find something, we would really take time observing and get more involved than others who aren’t highly sensitive. Introverts usually also find profound conversations about values and morals much more interesting than the recent vacation experiences. While extroverts enjoy small talk. Introverts have a strict moral conscience, they care about how people would be affected by their deeds and usually tend to take their past mistakes to their heart. The sensitivity traits also help us to differ it from shyness. Shy person are afraid to be judged negatively by others. On the other hand, introverts, because of their sensitivity, just prefer calm environment with little stimulation. Mrs. Cain told us an example of Bill Gates and Barbra Streisand. The former doesn’t care about what people think of him and the latter is extremely outgoing but suffers from severe stage fright. Bill Gates is an introvert while Barbra Streisand is shy extrovert.

Introverts’ brain show stronger reaction to external stimuli than extroverts. These reactions are controlled by human brains’ emotional switchboard-the amygdala. The amygdala is the first place our sensory organs send every stimulus from outside world, it determines our response to these inputs. Introverts have an extremely sensitive amygdala, that’s why we prefer low-stimulation or calm surroundings such as libraries. The extroverts is the other way around, their amygdala isn’t sensitive, so they seek out more stimulating environments, such as clubs, theme park, etc.

Extroverted children are like dandelions, they thrive to grow just about anywhere while the introverted children are more like orchids, they flourish only in the right environment. Parents who have a introverted children have to treat their child with respect and show their empathy more. When the introverted children get the right tutelage, they can be confidence too and learn to develop their skills. But whey they are faced with pressure, they have greater chance of suffering from despair and respiratory problems.

In the western world, extroverts are like the one who has a greater chance to be successful and are often preferred than the Introverts, because they perceived that they key to stand out from the crowd is extroversion. That’s why professors of Harvard Business schools try their best to convert their students into an extrovert. While in Asia, speaking without being asked are considered inappropriate, arrogant, and bad manners.

There are cultural shifts in America from the nineteenth century to the twentieth. 19th century: if you behave properly, worked hard, you’d earn respect and praise from the community. There was no need to call for attention. 20th century (Urbanization): If you want to win, you have to know how to sell yourself.

Introverts can act like an extroverts. Every ambitious introverts has a important situations where being an extroverted is a must. e.g.: I was a introverted person and has a hard time talking in front a lot of people back in the school days, it was a burden to me. But in college, when it was the time for presentation, I will behave like an extroverted person with all the expressive anecdotes and doesn’t have any insecurities. When it’s over, the switch came down and I became a quiet introverted person again. Just within seconds. That switching moment isn’t easy back then, I have to try for years to make it happen just like that. Now, public speaking isn’t a massive threats for me anymore.

A company consists of introverts and extroverts. Modern company usually build a workspace like an open room with no partition, walls, or even glass wall. Those modern workplaces made extroverts happy because they are in the middle of hundred people. However companies will lose some of great opportunities if they ignore their introverted employees. To be more effective, you have to build a workspace where people could meet as a whole team and a place where someone could work alone. Just so you guys know, Steve Wozniak built Apple’s first PC by himself at home, Newton wrote the law of gravity alone, J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in solitude.

The extroverted leaders tend to work by the rules and by the book but less successful in responding to suggestions which could probably make the process be more efficient and effective. Introverted leaders tend to have hard time encouraging their team members to achieve more efficiency but they open to any ideas available in making the process more efficient and effective. Extroverted leadership is very ideal in making a fast decision in a company but introverted leadership are effective when team members want to get more involved and share their personal ideas or opinion. Introverted leaders tend to get as much information as they could before they made any decision. In conclusion, extroverted leaders are needed when quick decisions have to be made, while introverted leaders are needed to make a careful and thoughtful decision. Each personality type could compliment one another.

It’s common when conflict of interest occurred in between the extroverts and introverts. Extroverts like to react offensively when conflicts arise, by then, because of introverts’ nature to hinder any conflicts, extroverts find them to be unprofessional or lack of interests in handling the conflicts. Actually, when introverts work together and open up with extroverts, try to see from each perspective, they could find a great solutions or results.

Until now, I often see many personality discrimination occurred in companies around the world. It saddened me. Both introverts and extroverts have their own valuable qualities, so it’s not fair to judge one another but work together to find a greater achievement.